Life Sentence - The Brief and Tragic Career of Baltimore's Deadliest Gang Leader

Mark Bowden

Summary

Sandtown is one of the deadliest neighbourhoods in the world; it earned Baltimore its nickname Bodymore, Murderland, and was made notorious by 'The Wire.' Drug deals dominate street corners and ruthless, casual violence abounds.


Montana Barronette grew up in the centre of it all. The leader of the gang 'Trained to Go,' or TTG, when he was finally arrested, he had been nicknamed 'Baltimore's Number One Trigger Puller.' Under Tana's reign, TTG dominated Sandtown. When a string of murders were linked to TTG, each with dozens of witnesses too intimidated to testify, three detectives set out to put Tana in prison for life. For them, this was never about drugs: It was about serial murder.


Acclaimed journalist Mark Bowden, who spent his youth in the white suburbs of Baltimore, returns to the city with exclusive access to the FBI files and unprecedented insight into one of the city's deadliest gangs and its notorious leader. As he traces the rise and fall of TTG, Bowden uses wiretaps, police interviews, trial transcripts and his own ongoing conversations with Tana's family and community to create the most in-depth account of an inner-city gang ever written.


With his signature precision and propulsive narrative, Mark Bowden positions Tana - as a boy, a gang leader, a killer, and now a prisoner - in the context of Baltimore and America, illuminating his path for what it really was: a life sentence.

Available since: 07/06/2023.

Print length: 320 pages.

Other books that might interest you

To Catch A Killer - My Hunt for...

Peter Bleksley

On 28 November 2004, banker and father-of-two Alistair Wilson was shot three times on his doorstep in a killing more commonly associated with inner city gang wars than a sleepy seaside town in the Scottish Highlands. All these years later, the question remains: why?Who would wish to kill this respectable husband and family man in such a brutal fashion? Was it simply a tragic case of mistaken identity, or did someone have reason to end Alistair's life? And what was the significance of the envelope handed to him before he was fatally wounded?Over the years, lines of enquiry have been investigated and dismissed, gossip has spread, theories offered and rumours debated at length. And yet, so long after Alistair's death, no arrest has ever been made and precious few motives have been made public.In this gripping true crime investigation, Peter Bleksley, top ex-undercover cop and The Chief on Channel 4's Hunted, strives to uncover the truth and hunt down Alistair's killer. He travels to Scotland, speaks to experts, and draws on his decades of investigative experience in order to provide new insight into Scotland's most mysterious murder case.

Show book

The Prisoner - Behind Bars in...

Vladimir Pereverzin

'A bleak and vivid account' BBC Radio 4 
‘I am haunted by the feeling that it is not me I’m writing about, but some other man who lived through it all. It is as though I was watching a film about him, reading a book on him. And here is that book’ 
Shocking, but laced with wry humour, Vladimir Pereverzin’s extraordinary story is of an ordinary man whose comfortable life is upended. Refusing to give false testimony against Yukos owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky, he is plunged into lengthy, brutal incarceration in Russia’s nightmarish prisons and penal colonies, including some in which political prisoner Alexei Navalny has been held. 
Vividly told in this skilful translation, Vladimir’s ultimately uplifting memoir was first published in Russian in 2013, but, given new laws enacted in Russia to punish those who oppose its ongoing ‘special operation’ in Ukraine, it is, if anything, even more topical today. 
_ 
‘A very Russian story, and topical for all times . . . it tells you how to become truly free when deprived of liberty’ – Boris Akunin, author of the Erast Fandorin books

Show book

Duplicity - My Mothers' Secrets...

Donna Freed

'Just the most amazing story, a brilliant story, it's like discovering another world. How incredible to go back and search for your past in that way.' Jeremy Vine, BBC R2. 'Mesmerising, I couldn't stop reading'. Decca Aitkenhead, The Sunday Times. 'A family scandal straight out of a Hollywood film noir .. what a story it is. I look forward to seeing it on Netflix'. Genevieve Gaunt, The Spectator. Donna's birth parents were infamous con artists at the heart one of the US's biggest crime investigations of the 1960's. Donna Freed was six years old when her sister casually revealed that she and her siblings were all adopted, a subject her parents refused to discuss. The revelation fractured Donna's sense of identity. The death of her tricky yet treasured adoptive mother died left Donna feeling exposed, her life un-witnessed without a mother to look over her. When she became a mother herself, Donna felt compelled to track down her birth mother. Trawling through records of the now notorious Louise Wise Adoption Service, many previously redacted, she uncovered an explosive and salacious story, one of the biggest true crime investigations to grip the USA in the late 1960s. Her (real) parents had faked her mother's death tby drowning o benefit from a massive life insurance payout - a manhunt ensued....This vivid memoir about motherhood and identity, explores the essence of what it is to be a mother and the fundamental truth of nature vs nurture.

Show book

Who Murdered Diana?

Stephen B Ubaney

Wanna know who murdered Diana? Volume 4 of the Who Murdered? book series is one of the most extensively researched and most unique books on Princess Diana’s death ever published. This investigative masterpiece was created at the expense of 3981 hours of research, investigation, and production labor. For the first time, a one of a kind, “tell-all” book uses new evidence to delve deep into the power players, their agenda, and the identities of the people who planned her murder. In the end, you will not only know who did it, you will know why, and how they pulled it off. Sit back, relax, and let this “author-read” audiobook answer all of your questions. If you enjoy this audiobook, search for other volumes of the Who Murdered Book series. Volume 1: Who Murdered Elvis?, Volume 2: Who Murdered FDR, and Volume 3: Who Murdered Elvis’ The 5th Anniversary Edition. Physical copies can be purchased at whomurderedbooks.com for all of your gift giving needs. ** All rights reserved. No part may be used or reproduced by any means: graphic, electronic, or mechanical, recording, taping, or by any other information storage retrieval system without the expressed written consent and permission of the author and the publisher. Who Murdered Diana? Copyright 2021 Who Murdered? is a registered Trademark Softcover: 978-1-7333048-2-5eBook: 978-1-7333048-3-2Writers Guild of America: Registration 2114075

Show book

True Crime Case Histories -...

Jason Neal

36 Disturbing True Crime Stories of Murder and DeceptionReaders Love This Series - Over 7,000 Five-Star RatingsThree Book Collection: Volumes 7, 8, and 9 of the True Crime Case Histories Series (2022)
If you’re a fan of true crime, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the big-name cases; Ted Bundy, BTK, David Berkowitz, Christopher Watts, Diane Downs, Casey Anthony, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jodi Arias, Ed Gein, etc. The list of well-known, notorious cases throughout history is seemingly endless. Books, websites, podcasts, streaming television series, and magazines are filled with their abhorrent tales of mayhem. They’re some of the most foul killers the world has ever known.
In my books, I do my best to find stories you may not have heard of. To do this, I count on my readers to send me stories that may have been forgotten and aren't found on the internet.
You'll read the story of five-year-old Stephanie Hebert, who walked only three houses down her quiet suburban sidewalk and disappeared forever. Her case went cold for forty years before other children from her neighborhood came forward in their adulthood with information leading to the killer.
There’s also the heartbreaking story of a single mom who did the unthinkable for insurance money.
Many of the stories in this book feature women killers, three of whom took the time to meticulously dismember their victims—a task that can take great strength. Another woman manipulated her two teenage boys into killing for her.
Plus many more disturbing stories.
The stories in this volume are shocking and exhibit human behavior at its absolute worst. Pure evil. However, these things really happen in the world. We may never understand what goes on in a killer’s mind, but at least we can be better informed.

Show book

Suburban Policing - Cleveland Style

Jim Brown

Suburban Policing: Cleveland Style is an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes journey through the eyes of a seasoned law enforcement officer who spent 25+ years as a Police Officer making his way through the ranks (Patrol Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Detective Bureau Commander, SWAT Team Commander, etc.,)—which culminated in serving his final eleven (11) years as a municipal Police Chief. With raw honesty, sharp insight, and moments of unexpected humor, this book offers a gripping look at what it truly means to wear the badge in one of America’s most challenging suburban environments. From high-speed pursuits and SWAT operations to life-altering auto accidents and unpredictable disturbances, this isn’t just another cop story—it’s a boots-on-the-ground memoir of dedication, danger, and deeply personal encounters with both tragedy and triumph. Drawn from decades of real-life experiences, these stories reflect the grit, compassion, and unwavering resolve of those who serve and protect. For anyone curious about what police officers really face day to day—and how a lifetime in law enforcement shapes a person—this book offers an authentic, unforgettable perspective.

Show book